“The No. 1 cause of late ferry trips remains the consistently large number of tourists who attempt to remain aboard boats to make the return trip."

Staten Island Ferry On-Time Rate, 1999-2013

Fiscal Year

On-time percentage

2013

88.6

2012

88.9

2011

90.9

2010

90.6

2009

91.1

2008

91

2007

91.7

2006

89.5

2005

88.7

2004

93.4

2003

97.8

2002

97

2001

97

2000

97

1999

97

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y -- Clueless tourists are to blame for a drop in the Staten Island Ferry's on-time performance rate to its lowest level on recent record, city officials say.

The weekday on-time performance rate fell 3 full points to 87.8 percent in Fiscal Year 2013, according to a new Bloomberg administration report. Overall, the ferry's on-time performance fell to 88.6 percent. A boat is late if it departs more than five minutes later than scheduled, although some of the lost time can be made up during the cross-harbor journey if conditions are right.

"The No. 1 cause of late ferry trips remains the consistently large number of tourists who attempt to remain aboard the boats to make the return trip, taking significant crew time to clear the vessel, as required by Coast Guard regulations," said Department of Transportation spokesman Seth Solomonow.

Although announcements alert riders that they must clear the boat at the end of each trip, many apparently fail to hear them, fail to understand them -- or they just flat-out ignore them in hopes of staying put.

The on-time performance was routinely 95 percent or higher in early 2000s and before, with a peak of 99 percent in 1995. It was above 97 percent from 1999-2003. All that changed with the strict enforcement of regulations in the wake of the 2003 ferry crash that killed 11 and injured scores of commuters. Other factors include enhanced post-9/11 security and increased commercial traffic in New York Harbor.

In response, Solomonow said ferry officials have been adjusting staff schedules to respond to these changes. The tourists are unpredictable, however, he said, with their crowds varying depending on everything from the weather to the economy.

On Monday afternoon, the Staten Island ferryboat John J. Marchi was teeming with tourists enjoying a crisp fall afternoon about one of the city's must-do attractions. The visitors -- from places such as Argentina, Spain, Brazil and Asia, snapped pictures of each other, the Manhattan skyline, and the Statue of Liberty.

When the 2:30 p.m. boat reached St. George, tourists were observed lingering a bit, and they definitely brought up the rear as the boat was emptied, but they did not appear to cause any delays. Helping matters, perhaps were the multiple announcements advising them to exit the boat, and deckhands who were worked to ensure that boat was cleared in a timely manner.

The on-time statistics appeared in the 2013 Mayor's Management Report, an overview of key statistical measurements for city agencies.

RIDERSHIP DOWN DUE TO SANDY

The report notes that ferry ridership fell 3.5 percent, to 21.399 million, for the 12-month period ending June 30. Hurricane Sandy is the key driver of the drop, Solomonow said. The ferry was completely closed for three full days, and there may have been a residual drop in the weeks and months after Sandy, as routine life on Staten Island was upended.

Total ferry ridership the previous year was 22.178 million, which was the highest in at least a generation. Comprehensive ridership records through the decades are not available, but Advance reports from the 1960s indicate ferry ridership peaked in 1964, the year the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened. That year, the ferry recorded 27.5 million fares, up 500,000 from 1963.

And while the Staten Island Ferry remains free to all riders, the overall cost to taxpayers dropped a dime in Fiscal Year 2013 to $5.38.